SCRANTON, Pa. — Students in the Scranton School District still don't know whether they'll enter their regular buildings come September.
The options up for debate include virtual learning or a hybrid model, which would include a combination of both in-person and virtual classes.
"I think the unknown is what is so overwhelming to us all," said Scranton School Board President Katie Gilmartin.
"I think they should make up their mind, and they should make it safe for everybody," said Scott Heller of Scranton.
Heller's third-grade granddaughter does not want to go back to school in person yet.
"She's not comfortable wearing a face mask for 8 hours a day, whatever it is. The cafeteria workers don't need this, they're all older, teachers are older. We don't need the kids bringing this home to older grandparents who may live at home," said Heller.
Scranton School Board President Katie Gilmartin's concern with the hybrid model is that in all the efforts to keep the buildings clean, the real reason students are there in the first place would get lost.
"It seemed like there was so much more focus on eliminating risk and exposure to the virus, where the virtual model takes some of that frustration and that fear and those questions out of the mix."
Whichever plan the board chooses, there will be some sort of virtual component. That's why the board approved the administration's request to delay the start of the school year from August 26 to September 8, "to allow for some more time for training, to allow for a longer window of opportunity to access technology and other equipment we may need," as Gilmartin said.
There's a survey online for parents to fill out, but ultimately, what happens in September is up to the board.
A vote is scheduled for August 10.